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family · Thursday 9 July 2026 · Various - see kinsaleartsweekend.com 
Kinsale Arts Weekend - Family and Children's Events 2026
At Various venues across Kinsale town · Kinsale, Co. Cork
At Various venues across Kinsale town · Kinsale, Co. Cork
Kinsale Arts Weekend turns the whole town into a venue for four days each July, and the family and children’s programme is one of the best reasons to bring younger visitors along. Now in its tenth year, the festival runs from Thursday 9 to Sunday 12 July 2026 under the theme of Immrama - ancient Irish voyage tales celebrating movement, exchange, and the sea as a living route. Children might stumble across a pop-up performance on the pier in the morning and spend the afternoon in a hands-on arts workshop, all within a ten-minute walk of each other.
The festival spreads across cafes, churches, streets, the library, and the harbour front, with over 60 events across the four days. Street spectacle events - outdoor performances and parade-style shows that spill through Kinsale’s lanes - have been a signature of the weekend in recent years and are typically free to attend. Children’s workshops are a fixed part of the programme, running in parallel with the adult events so that families with mixed ages are well catered for. Past editions have featured kite shows, dance spectacles, and creative craft sessions tailored specifically for younger audiences.
The 2026 theme of Immrama draws on Irish mythology and coastal heritage, which gives the children’s programme a strong story and sea-faring thread to work with. The full programme is published on kinsaleartsweekend.com in the weeks before the event; it is worth checking there for confirmed workshop times, venue details, and ticketed events that may need booking in advance.
Kinsale sits about 25 km south of Cork City on the R600 and takes roughly 30 minutes to drive in easy traffic. Bus Eireann runs regular services from Cork Bus Station (Parnell Place) directly to Kinsale, making it a realistic day trip without a car. The town centre is compact enough to cover on foot once you arrive, which suits families well. Parking is available at the Pier Road car park and at several smaller town-centre spots, but the town gets busy during the festival weekend so arriving early or coming by bus is the sensible approach.
The festival is a good excuse to spend more than a few hours here. Kinsale has a well-deserved reputation as one of the most attractive harbour towns on the south coast, with a strong food scene and good walking routes around the old fort and estuary. There is more to see in Kinsale and across Co. Cork.
Heading to Various venues across Kinsale town in Kinsale? Cork has plenty more to see. Read the Kinsale area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.